


Second Chance

by vials



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Bill and Eve are sneaky, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 02:00:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11476239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vials/pseuds/vials
Summary: James returned from Europe to find Q more than a little frosty over the whole running off thing. Luckily, there's nothing like a classic old pub and some friends with good timing to help things get smoothed over.





	Second Chance

“He’s happy,” Eve said warningly, as over James’s shoulder she spotted Q and Bill arriving into the crowded pub, rainwater still dripping off of them. “Don’t you dare cock it up for him.”

“Cock it up for him?” James repeated, sounding so genuinely indignant that Eve turned her attention from waving at the others and abruptly back to James again.

“Yes!” she said, exasperated. “He had only just stopped pining after you when you decided to show up again, making it quite clear things had fallen through with Madeleine – who was lovely, by the way, you old brute.”

“It was a mutual breakup,” James protested. “We’re still friendly, and if you think she’s lovely I can give you her number.”

Eve’s eyes twinkled. “I have half a mind.”

“That aside, I don’t see how any of these could be constituted as ‘cocking things up for Q’.”

He sounded so convinced of his innocence that Eve could only roll her eyes.

“Try not to bloody flirt with him,” she warned. “You’ve messed with his head enough.”

That much made James pause for thought, and he only just managed to keep up with the greetings as Bill and Q joined them with a fresh round of drinks from the bar. Q was slightly less distant outside of work, with some warmth replacing his recent distant professionalism towards James, and for the first time James thought he had an idea as to why it was there in the first place.

He wasn’t dense: he knew Q had had a bit of a thing for him. Truth be told, James had thoroughly enjoyed their back-and-forth himself. But that had been all there was to it, surely? Some banter here, a useful way to get a favour there. Nothing more to it.

Now James was forced to consider it all in a new light. Eve’s words, combined with the memories of Q’s face as he had handed over the keys and his distance now all made for a very obvious conclusion. In short, James had been a total idiot. Not just on Q’s end of things – on his own, too. After all, who had he thought about most when he had been away in Europe? And whose frosty reaction had been troubling him since the moment he got back?

Some of his thought processes must have shown on his face, because at one point he glanced up and saw Eve staring at him, a knowing look directed right at him. James got the feeling he would never hear the end of this, and, when Bill excused himself to go and call home to say goodnight to his kids, James got the impression that Eve offered to bring in the next round on purpose.

Alone with Q, who was seated next to him, the awkward silence lasted only a moment. Even more surprising was the fact that Q was the one to break it.

“You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet tonight,” he said, taking a small sip of what remained in his glass. He didn’t look at James as he spoke, and James was reminded of their first meeting in the National Gallery.

“Just maintaining professional distance,” James replied, and Q snorted.

“That would be a first.”

“Well, you haven’t been quite as receptive to my hilarious banter lately,” James said. “I didn’t think it would be wise to push my luck.”

“Another first,” Q retorted, before he finally looked at him. “I am sorry to hear about you and Madeleine.”

The sincerity took James by surprise; he found himself floundering.

“It was mutual,” he found himself saying. “Lovely girl, but we found life was better in the honeymoon period. I don’t think either of us were built for the domesticity we were looking for.” A pause, and then James swallowed, before ploughing ahead. “I’m sorry for the abrupt departure, and I do hope you didn’t get into too much trouble because of me.”

“Oh, you know,” Q said flippantly. “A couple of inquiries, a brief period of suspension. Paid, though, so there was that. It all blew over in the end.”

“I’m glad,” James said, and gave a small smile. “Though I understand why I’m in the doghouse, which is all the more difficult to accept now I realise what an idiot I’ve been.”

Q’s cheeks immediately flushed red, and he stammered a bit when he spoke. “Well, I don’t know what I expected. I mean –”

“Not just in regards to you, Q,” James said fondly, putting the man out of his misery before he could get going in full. “I understand why you’re keeping your distance, and I respect that. I learned with Madeleine that I can’t keep dragging people into things just because I can’t sort myself out. I do miss what we had, though. I suppose that’s my punishment.”

“You oaf,” Q muttered, tough James thought it was more out of awe for his stupidity than any malice. “You could have told me sooner, or I suppose it might not have done any good. You’re always running off.”

“I guess I just took certain things for granted.”

“I’m not always going to be here waiting for you, James,” Q said firmly. “And you are not in my good books right now.”

“So let me make it up to you,” James suggested. “Nothing complicated. Just dinner. Your choice where.”

“If you make me regret this, Bond, so help you god.”

It was at that moment Eve and Bill re-joined them, Eve with one eyebrow raised at the comment.

“What’s this?” she asked. “This better not be that cocking up I mentioned earlier, James.”

“I hope not,” James said, smiling as innocently as he could manage.

“James is taking me out to dinner next week,” Q announced, to the intrigued looks of Bill and Eve. “So I suppose we shall see.”

Only James saw the fond smile Q gave him as drinks were organised and the news was discussed; he found it gave him great pleasure to return it, and to watch the redness creep back into Q’s pale cheeks.


End file.
